This present invention relates to a new and distinctive inbred dent corn line designated IT7EE42. All publications cited in this application are herein incorporated by reference.
The goal of plant breeding is to combine in a single variety or hybrid various desirable traits. For vegetable crops, such as sweet corn, these traits may include resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance to heat and drought, reducing the time to crop maturity, greater yield, better agronomic quality, processing traits, such as high processing plant recovery, tender kernels, pleasing taste, uniform kernel size and color, attractive husk package and husked ears, ability to ship long distances, ease of mechanical or manual harvest, tipfill, row straight. With mechanical harvesting of many crops, uniformity of plant characteristics such as germination and stand establishment, growth rate, maturity, and plant and ear height, is important.
Corn (Zea mays L., also called maize) is the most valuable crop grown in the United States. Along with wheat, rice, and potatoes, corn ranks as one of the four most important crops in the world. Three major types of corn are grown in the United States: 1) grain or field corn; 2) sweet corn; and 3) popcorn. Grain or field corn is grown annually for grain on from 55 to 60 million acres, with seed production in excess of 4 billion bushels, and in addition, around 8 million acres of this type are harvested for silage. Grain corn is further classified commercially into four main types: 1) dent corn; 2) flint corn; 3) flour or soft corn; and 4) waxy corn.
Dent corn is a particular type of grain corn. Dent corn is the most common type of corn, comprising about 90 percent of the corn grown in the United States. Dent corn, when fully ripe, has a pronounced depression or dent at the crown of the kernels. The kernels contain a hard form of starch at the sides and a soft type of starch in the center. This latter starch shrinks as the kernel ripens resulting in the terminal depression. Dent varieties vary in kernel shape from long and narrow to wide and shallow. Farmers harvest dent corn when the seeds become hard and ripe. Dent corn is primarily used as a livestock feed, but can also be used to make many food and industrial products. Dent corn is grown in all parts of the United States Corn Belt.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification.